Automatic sprinkler.



PATEHTED Nov. 19, 1907 v 0. E. BUELL.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER. APPLICATION FILED MAY 18, 1897.

UNITED I STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES E. BUELL, OF NORTH PLAINFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO GENERALFIRE EXTINGrUISHER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEWYORK.

AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

. Patented Nov. 19, 1907.

Application filed May 18. 1897- Serial No. 637.116.

- To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, CHARLES E. BUELL, of

North Plainfield, Somerset county, State of My invention consists,primarily, in the combination with a sprinkler of a valve provided withone or more projecting portions inoperative relation to a heat actuatedmotor that is adapted to move the said valve when acted upon by the heatof a fire.

My invention further consists in the combination with a charge ofexplosive material in a fire extinguishing device, of a mechanism forigniting said explosive material; the said igniting member being adaptedto be joined to the said charge as an independent member, allsubstantially as hereinafter clescribed.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1.-

- shows an automatic sprinkler having a valve I V. closing an outlet ina diaphragm, and held to its seat by a fusible fastening and a metal'capm. over the valve V. and beneath the fastening f. ascrew S. foradjusting the pressure upon the assembled .parts, and a cartridge holderC. containing a charge of explosive material C. therein that is adaptedto be fired bya temperature'greater than that required to melt andrelease the fusible fastening f. and when fired to force the valve V.from its seat, if, for any cause, it should have been adhered thereto,and not discharged when the fastening f. melts and releases the saidvalve V. Fig. 2. shows a cartridge holder C". as described, and Fig. 3.shows a modified form of such a cartridge holder C". Fig. 4. shows asprinkler having its valve'V. seated upon the nozzle N. Fig. 5 shows in'perspective the two separated members of the strut. Fig. 5 shows avertical. sectional View of the strut. Fig. 6 shows the valve V providedwith the projecting member. Fig. 6 shows a modification of valve V. Fig.7. shows a cartridge C. for use in said projection. Fig. 8. shows aprimer mechanism for use in connection with the charge of explosive'C.Fig. 9. shows'a modified form of sprinkler having a primer mechanism inoperative relation to the explosive charge. Fig. 10. shows a primermechanism in sectional view for use with an explosive charge, and Fig llshows a modification of the same.

Fig. 1. is a view in cross-section of a sprinphragm, a metal follower onsaid valve a fusible fastening resting in said follower, and a screw 5-passing through the yoke, for adjusting pressure against said fastening.A

located in the sprinkler in a manner to exert a lifting pressure againstthe valve V. when the charge in holder 0. is fired by the action ofheat.

Fig. 2. shows the cartridge holder C. as an independent member that isadapted to 'be inserted in the assembled structure of the sprinkler. I

Fig. 3. shows a cartridge holder C of explosive, and adapted to beinserted in a V.-, and when acted upon by'heat to exert a liftingpressure against said valve V.

Fig. 4.- shows a spri kler having a nozzle N. closed by valve V. whichis held toflits seat by the fastening f. The valve V is provided with ahole 7' and the sprinkler body is contains a charge 0.

Fig. 5 and 5* shows the fusible fastening f. consisting of the member'1. supported upon the member 2. on which last named the pivotedmember 1. is provided with a folded portion fthat is adapted to fitaround the projection on member 2. and the two members thus disposed aresoldered together with an easily fusible solder along their contactingsurfaces. -A drop of solder is also shown at 01;. where the supportedmember is pivoted on the supporting member.

Fig. 6. shows a valve V. having a projecting portion with a holetherethrough at 71, and a gasket V. to facilitate the formation of aproper joint between the valve and its seat. In the modified form ofthevalve. V shown in Fig. 6", the projecting portion carries a cup-liketridge C. The cartridge C. of Fig. 7'. is fitted into a'cavity in thebody'of the sprinkler, or in the invertedcup-likepart of the projectionsprinkler in operative relation to the valve kler with its valve V.seated upon a diacartridge holder C". containing a charge C. is

modified form, for containing a charge C. of

provided with a projecting portion C which member there is a deflectedportion f. and

part U for receiving a car- [on the valve Y.. and together with it is aI P. which is screwed into the enlarged-part of spring C that fits withthe cartridge C. in

said cavity, or cup, and will give a pressure to the released movableparts of the sprinkler if the adhesion is'nottoo great, but if the valveis'not moved by the spring it will be when the explosive charge is firedby an increase of temperature.

There is 'ahole j. in'the projection of valve V.. and the primermechanism shown g-bole, and to stand upright by the side of thefastening p consists 0 a tube e. filled with chlorate of The contents ofthe bulb d.

potash and sugar entering intothe bulb (1.,

\ and its end covered with a protecting layer foflgaraffin g. and overthis a quantity of nf-airrthe, tp' e sets oii the charge in the.

ric acid. The lower 'end of tube e. is. adapted to enter into 'acartridge C.-, or upon the copper shell which contains a'primer offulminate of mercury,- and when fire heats the devieethus arranged, theignited charge .-"cavity, oinverted cup, for generating pressure to liftthe valve V.

prising a copper'shell having a-fulminate of v -,mercury timer; anda'charge of gimpowder therein, t e charge of chloratenf/potaslf'andsugar-can be omitted, antl r the sulfuric acid.

be allowed toflow u'pon theicopper over the ful1ninate,'when theparafiinis melted at 9., and by the heat. which willbe generatedby the alreadyheatedacid-acting upon the co per, the fulminate will be ignited, andthe charge of explosive will be fired, exerting. the

desired pressure.

glass, orlined with a non-corrodible-material.

In Fig-Q. there is shown a modified form of the sprinkler shown inFigs. 1. and 4. and.

described.

sprinkler is rovided with an enlarged body portion in W i'ch is inserteda cartridgeC. at- C. thatis adapted to be fired by heat, and

to lift againstthe projecting part of the valve V. for vnseating thevalve-if it should I be adhered when-the fusible fastening f; is

melted. .The cartridge, or charge C. is ,a co per shell with a fulminateprimer in" the enlarged portion thereof, adapted to ignite ata'te'mperature slightlyabove the boiling point of Water. A hole in theprojection-on the valve is filled with an easily ignited compound thatis in contact with .the copper shell and takes fire by being exposed'toa temperature that is slightly above. normal,

' and when on fire causes the copper shell to Whenv the bulb thusarranged is used with a cartridge coni- I When the action of acid. uponthe copper is desired the acid to be used is preferably nitric acid. Thebulb is of:

. The valve V is seated uponthe ,HOZZlB N. and has a projecting part,and the the body ofthe sprinkler in a manner tobe in communication'withtheexplosive charge therein marked 6., and. this mechanism is adaptedtov be set to go ofl' at'a desired temperature for firing the liftingcharge. When a parafiin seal isused, as in the bulb Fig. 8.

the point of ignition is about 140 FalL-the "employment of the massofignitible com pound at j. can be 160 ,Fah. and the firing point of theprimer mechanism P. can be at any desired point from 155.F ah. to 360Fahl, or even'higher, if desired.

The primer mechanism P. is shown inde tail in Figs.;10 and 11. In Fig.10. the pri-' mer is a friction tube that consists of'the fuse e.consisting'of a tube containing a powder which will be fired byfriction; in the powder contained in'the tube is a wire, or lunger,carrying a cover for the tube,'and eneath the coveron the wire, asshown, and

surrounding the tube,'is a compressed spring that is held compressed bythe cover K'. which is forced into the position shown, and

. held in sucliposition by being soldered to the containing case, at xby an easily f'used.sol.

der that can be made to melt at. various degrees of temperature, andwhen melted will release the compressed sp'ring' S, and sud-- 'denlyraise the cover K. and attached friction plunger through themass offriction powder in tube e. firing the powder, and igniting and firingthecharge of explosives that is in communication with it. Theprim'ermechanism thus constructed and arranged is adapted to be secured to thesprinkler. after it has been placed in position, or-has been received atthe place whereit is to be placed in use, with advantages overt-heshigment of; sprinklers that have an easily ed primer, and a charge ofexplosive in the assembled sprinkler.

There are advantages in being able to provide a primer mechanism whichcan .be held by solder; that can be set' to go at a desired degree oftemperature byvarying the nielt-.

ing point of the retainer solder that is used. The form ofprimer-meohamsm shown 1n Fig. 11. cons sts of a percussionmember e.

ion

with a spring hammer it held in the position shown by the compressedspring S. retained by being soldered at the-point act-by therod of thehammer passing through the cover at g. and being'soldered therein.

A screwthreaded portion-is shown on the exterior of the primer-mechanismP. shown in Figs. 10. and 11. by'which means the device can be securedin a sprinkler, as de-' scribed. .T here 1s shown in Fig.9. asecond proect1on on the valveover a second en lar ed portion of the body of thesprinkler an a cartridge Ot that contains an expanding substance whichwill exert a pressure heneath and against the valve V. when thesprinkler is subjected to the heat of a fire.

and, unlike a spring that is compressed, the

condition of the expanding body is not changed bythe lapse of time.

The pruner-meehanism can lnvolve the releaseof a liquid, or acid thatwill flow to act upon suitable material for causing an ignition, or themechanism can depend'for motion upon a fusible fastening that isnormally held by a solder which, in its normal operation, releases afriction, or percussion exploder, and the mechanisms thus arranged canbe secured upona sprinkler, or other device, in communication with anexplosive charge, as described. The firing mechanism thus organized isadapted to be secured upon the exterior of the sprinkler where it isreadily reached. by the heat of an incipient fire, and is detachablysecured to the sprinkler.

The explosive charge can be further secured against failure to ignite atlow temperatures, by mixing fragments of glass, and unequally expandingmaterial, in the fulminatc portion of the cartridge that is used, and bymultiplying the means for the early firing 'of the explosive charge tosecure against failure te'produce the discharge.

By the employment of the frictional primer-meclianism the parts employedcan be of lighter weight than when a percussion primer is used, and goodresults beobtained. The spring shown can be a. compound spiral that atnormal temperatures will not be under tension, but will be given atension when heat acts thereon and causes the unequal expansion of thecompound spiral to create tension therein.

What I claim, is

1. An automatic sprinkler having a valve closing its outlet, a fusiblefastening for said valve, and a removable cartridge in an opening insaid sprinkler body at one side of the valve and adapted to exert atipping pressure on the valve when acted upon by heat, substantially as('lescribed.

2. An. automatic sprinkler having a valve closing its outlet, a fusiblefastening for said I valve, a projection on the valve at one side.

thereof in operative relation to a thermally ignited charge, and aremovable primer in operative relation to said thermally ignited charge,substantially as described.

3. An automatic sprinkler having its outlet held normally closed by afusible fastening, a projection on the valve at one side thereof and inoperative relation to a thermally ignited charge, and at the other sidethereof a projection from the said valve to a thermally expanded charge,the said thermally ignited and expanded charges being adapted to exertpressure for lifting said valve when acted upon by heat,substantially asdescribed.

4. A removable cartridge for an automatic sprinkler comprising a firingmechanism actuated by a spring which is held under tension by an easilyfusible material, substantially as described.

5. A removable cartridge for an automatie'sprinkler comprising a tubefilled with powder, a friction plunger held in place in the bottom ofsaid powder filled tube by' a spring, said spring being held undertension by solder and the whole inelosed in a casing adapted to besecurral to a sprinkler, substantially as described CHARLES E. BilElJl.

Witnesses:

A. C. BUELL, WM. C. -BUELL.

